Good choice! I grow Golden Celebration too and it is one of my husband's favorites--and mine. The blooms are deliciously fragrant. It will probably do best for you in a site with morning sun but a little shade during the hottest part of the day (if you can find one). Otherwise the flowers might wilt in the summer sun. Work some amendments into the soil, because producing full, fragrant blooms takes a lot of nutrients. Also make sure the plant gets plenty of water; I think the recommendation is generally 1" per week if you don't get a good, soaking rain. This variety is not too bad with blackspot in my climate, but this can vary a lot--to prevent/limit the disease make sure there is plenty of air circulation and don't get the leaves wet when you water. If you see a blackspotty leaf pick it off and throw it in the trash (not compost). Other people can perhaps give you some pruning advice; I don't know how big and what shape Golden Celebration gets to be in a mild winter climate, because the winter cold 'prunes' for us up here. Best of luck--I'm sure you will enjoy this rose.

I planted it last year and it's doing well. I think in our zone it can get quite large and can be put on a pillar.

I do spray and I think GC will get blackspot if not sprayed.

It had good repeat in it's first year last year and the scent is incredible.

Diane, I think dozens of fingers were poised to begin typing a response on this thread, before reading your comment about David Austin roses not being antiques :-) Thanks for calming the masses.

One in the masses,
Randy

As the years go by, I suspect G.C. may be the only Austin that will remain here permanently.
(And we've grown more Austins over the years than most people.)
No, it's not a "real" Old Garden Rose, but it is very pretty, very disease-free for us, and wonderfully fragrant.

Not all that is old is good.
Not all that is new is bad (or vice-versa).

Jeri

Thank you to those of you that were kind enough to provide me with advice on how to care for my David Austin.

I also appreciate the correction on it not being an antique rose, but would have still appreciated the advice on how to care for it from all that have experience growing them.

I agree with you Jeri, how beautifully put -
Not all that is old is good, Not all that is new is bad

Kindly only respond if you can provide me with advice on the care and growing of this rose. I get it that I made the mistake of calling it an antique rose when it isn't.

Thank you all again for your input,
Diana

"...Kindly only respond if you can provide me with advice on the care and growing of this rose..."

Perhaps you should have stated your "rules" in your original post. No one was making fun of you, we just like to talk roses ... no harm intended.

I grow 'Golden Celebration' on the hot, western side of my home. It gets no morning sun, full mid afternoon sun for several hours, then no late afternoon sun. Not an ideal exposure for a rose, but GC does fine there. So, it doesn't seem to be a particularly finicky plant. Its canes are very arching when young, and some of them might touch the ground, but I would recommend holding off on any pruning until the plant has a chance to build up some structure. I like its naturally relaxed habit, so I don't try to force it into being something its not. It's a beautiful rose, but its fragrance is its most valuable asset for me. Good luck with yours.

Randy

I wasn't being mean or snippy, I just wanted to provide knowledge. Knowledge is power and now I know not to respond to any more of your questions.

RANDY SAID: I like its naturally relaxed habit, so I don't try to force it into being something its not.

*** RANDY! That's really great advice.
The Rose Knows, you might say, what form it wants to take.
Better to work with its nature than to attempt to force it to be what it is not.

BTW, Diane's point was also well-taken.

That knowledge helps us understand what goes into the makeup of the rose.
That affects how it grows, and what it needs.
Our observation indicates that the Austins demand more consistent watering
than some of our "evergreen"-type Old Roses.

So what it really is, is important.

Jeri

RE: David Austin Golden Celebration Rose - Care Instructions clip this post email this post what is this?
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Posted by diane_nj 7a/6b (My Page) on Fri, Mar 28, 08 at 18:29

To calm the masses, GC is not an antique rose. It is a modern shrub hybridized to have the look of an antique rose. We discuss roses hybridized by David Austin on this forum (and also on the Roses Forum) because of the similarities to antiques, and many folks who grow antiques also grow Austins, where they won't grow other modern roses.

I don't see any information in your response about how to care for the rose. I took it as your opportunity to point out my error to everyone else that was thinking the same thing. I did thank you for pointing that out and felt I was very polite. I never thought any of you were being mean or snippy. I just took it that you have a passion for roses and that you didn't like see inaccuracies posted about them. After seeing Randy's response to you, I was afraid that my post was being highjacked and turned into a discussion about how this particular rose is not an antique. I simply didn't want my question to be dismissed because I spoke incorrectly of the GC. Your right, knowledge is power and I am glad that I can now refer to my rose for what it is. Perhaps it's my lack of knowledge of roses, but I just didn't see how that would help me keep this rose healthy and allow it to thrive.

All I really ever wanted to know was how I could make it a beautiful rose and truly wanted the advice of someone that knows from experience. I will say it again, thank you all for your advice and for the opportunity to learn about this rose. I'm sorry that you don't feel you can respond to any more of my questions Diane. I really had hoped to meet some new friends on this forum.

I do apologize to anyone that I offended. I'm liked by a lot of other people on GW and don't want any of you to think bad of me because of this.

Diana

Diana, I highjack people's threads all time.
You'll have to forgive me ... it's just what I do.
I get carried away by the topic of old roses, and we're pretty informal around here & thick-skinned.
I'm really a fairly nice guy :-)
You will love your Golden Celebration, and hopefully someone will give you some good advise that you can use for your rose. There's an incredible amount of knowledge to be obtained from the people on this forum, they've helped me immensely over the years.

Randy

Randy,

Thanks for putting a smile on my face! I've gotten a lot of great advice from you and all the others that have responded and I appreciate every bit of it!

I'm looking forward to watching my new rose grow.

Thank you again to everyone!

Diana

Diana, it is a very pretty rose and you will have to give it a few years to build on itself before you indulge in a lot of pruning and the truth is, if you hang around here, you will just as knowledgeable as most of the posters here by the end of the season, because there are so many great posters, like Randy, Jer, Olga, Ceterum, and on and on and on, that it would take a long time to name them all and they all have different roses, knowledge beyond belief and you will absorb it like osmosis. We were all where you were but a few years ago.

Hi there Ollierose!

I have a few Golden Celebrations. It is a nice rose here in the semi-desert of inland Orange County, California. I don't prune mine hard, because the Austins I have here grow slowly and take 2-3 seasons to build up with very few exceptions. This is not what others experience, so it may be something about the soil here where I garden.

I find that Golden Celebration responds very well to the regime I give it of organics...alfalfa meal, mulching, manures (horse and composted chicken) etc... I don't fuss with it that much. I don't spray at all (no time/energy) but the aphids are so ghastly this season that I wish I did...

Golden Celebration gets no mildew or rust for me. We don't have blackspot here...so I cannot comment on that. Here is a picture of the Golden Celebration at the Mission San Juan Capistrano...which is about 15 miles SouthWest of me. I hope mine look like that in a few years.

I'd say, if you go for organics and manure, you'll be doing well with this rose, feed the soil with a top dressing of organics...don't go ballistic with it, and be patient.

I hope it does well for you.

{{gwi:239381}}

Jerome

Ollie...here's a close-up of that same rose.

{{gwi:239382}}

It is really gorgeous, maybe about 5'5" high and 6' or more wide. It gets really big by the end of each season, and they prune it discreetly each year, not heavily.

Jerome

WOW Jerome-that is beautiful! Not the 'vase shape' i expected to see. Can you post that to HMF? My baby GC has a role model now.

Diana, don't feel bad, I received a stern lecture on the difference between teas and hybrid teas on my first few posts here.

And pat is right, before long you'll be dishing out advice to all the newbies.

I put it on par with being a rookie on a football team and having to go through hazing.

GC is quite BS susceptible here, keeps me busy picking off leaves but that's OK, because it also blooms and blooms. I was thinking "short climber" when I chose the trellis-- oops, had no idea how WIDE it would get. Wish I'd seen that splendid picture then. Fortunately the rose "next door' is on a huge trellis and is sharing it with GC. At least while young, GC really seems to need a support as canes are very flexible/lax. I can't think of a new rose that thrilled me more in its first year. Love it! I expected that it would appreciate pampering & it's getting it-- lots of water & organics (bloodmeal, alfalfa tea, compost). I like the way the vibrant color holds in the sun--

Diana, I'm only a newb (in my third year with roses), and JUST planted GC myself. What I can share with you about all my other David Austins is that they LOVE to be pampered. Feed them well, water them well, deadhead religiously, spray them regularly (at least in my neck of the woods), and they'll bloom their heads off for ya. :)

---
Wendy

Oh my I just made a big mistake-------Today was my very first day out in the garden since my complicated hip surgery----I was walking around with a cane and my clippers and as I walked by GC I cut off many spindly canes hoping to encourage more growth---However after reading this post I think I made a mistake and should have waited another year before chopping off so many canes----Oh well---only time will tell-----
I always learn something on this forum---now I just have to wait and see if my poor GC survives.
Good Luck with GC--it is a lovely rose and Jerome---I love that picture---
Here are some blooms from a couple of years ago--
{{gwi:205411}}

Florence

GC gets blackspot to the point of completely defoliating without spray here. It has a lovely bloom, but it is not very disease resistant in this area. Plant it so that it has good air circulation! The Austin roses are all very beautiful, fragrant and I do love them but they will probably require spraying to keep them healthy. Buford lives the closest to your area so her advice should be the most pertinent.

Carol

I'm not a frequent poster, still being in the business of learning, but one of the absolute best pieces of advice I ever picked up on the rose forums here was to use alfalfa pellets to help my roses grow. You can find them in feed stores, but don't get any with added salt. Some people soak them to make alfalfa tea (and I'm sure you can search to find recipes people use), but I don't want to deal with the mess or smell, so I generally just spread a cup or two around each rose and water them in really well so they're less attractive to rabbits. Even then, it smells a little for a while. I intend to do this a few times per summer in our short growing season, but don't always manage more than the spring feeding. That, and watering well are about all I do. You'll probably have to deal with diseases that aren't a problem for me, but someone else will have to chime in on that.

Lowes currently has the J&P Golden Celebration for 16.95. Good lawd it was hard for me to walk away from this rose!!

Beautiful and so fragrant. But its an Austin so I knew to check here first. Glad I didnt get it after reading Carols comments.

Ronda

After seeing Brother Jerome's Golden Celebration, I know that mine has seen it's last spring. Diana, I hope you have a wonderful plant. The rose can be beautiful. I do believe it is subject to blackspot, as it blackspots in my garden, where blackspot is rare.

Now, now now...I cannot take credit for that baby. I wish it were mine. Those photographs are of the Mission San Juan Capistrano's plant. I just took the picture. The ones here at the abbey are smaller, because they're young. Still it is one of the better Austins in the garden, for me. It doesn't mildew or rust, and it's fairly vigorous.

Jerome, those pictures are beautiful even if that is not your yard. LOL

Diana, welcome to the Rose Forum. We are all excited about roses, and often see a rose we have an opinion about, and post. It is unusual for someone to be insulting here. We just love roses.

Sammy

Jerome - that picture of GC is GORGEOUS!!!! I will be ordering one thanks to u :-)

Florence - (zeffyrose_pa6b7)

How's the hip operation? Is it painful? My mother will be having her's soon, and she's very concerned about it. Does a hip operation improves mobility? I hope u get better soon.

(Sorry guys, I don't mean to hijack this post, but I have a question for Florence assuming that she might return back to this post.)

I give my Golden C. Dr. Earth Organic Flower Food--really easy to apply--and lots of water. You never need to worry about over-watering I don't think, just water it all the time! I have mine in a spot that is a little small for it, up next to the porch and so I tie it up to the wall, it doesn't seem to mind. It has been a gorgeous rose for me and it's only 3 years old. I am trying the new blackspot spray recommended in The Heritage Rose Catalog this year, baking soda and vegetable oil in water. It seems to be helping some, but I'm still getting a little blackspot--this is blackspot central around here. I like it because it's cheap and so you can spray it a lot! The first two years I let GC go, but this year I pruned it just like a Hybrid Tea, it seems to be responding well. Good luck with yours!

I ordered three GCs a couple weeks ago and can't wait to get them in the ground.

I've been growing a few other Austins here in Michigan. Jude the Obscure, Pat Austin, Bishop's Castle, and William Shakespeare 2000.

I'm quite a novice, but have had success in Michigan planting bare root with either Austin's Rootgrow that contains mycorrhizal fungi or Espoma's Bio-tone® Starter Plus which is an all natural plant food enhanced with biostimulants, beneficial bacteria and mycorrhizae. These must be in direct contact with the root to maximize effectiveness at planting. So planting bare root is a great way to go when using this approach. The theory is the fungi tap back into the soil to draw massive quantities of minerals and nutrients, mainly phosphorus, which a Rose desperately requires to bloom.

I follow a regular schedule of Bayer All-in-One (3x per season), Rose Tone(3x per season), and Alaska® Fish Emulsion(4x per year).

I know I contradict my otherwise organic approach by using the All-in-One, but I'm not a sprayer kind of guy.

Someone told me that the Mycorrhizae improve plant growth and help the root system be more resistant to soil borne diseases. The roots give the Mycorrhizae sugars in exchange. They supposedly help improve performance for less-than-perfect soil, watering, and fertilizing.

Again, I'm a novice. Very much so, but so far, this has worked for me.

Golden Celebration is easy care for me here in Thailand. Excellent repeating all year round and strong warm fruity fragrance one of my favorite Austin rose.

Nattaporn

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.flickr.com

Hi there Diane,

Thanks for asking the question. I just bought one and a Teasing Georgia (wish I had known about Lowes) there is some great info. here it's going to be good reading during our rainy days.

Karyn

What is Bayer All-in-One? It sounds like the aspirin. I have also read that adding Epsom salts in the spring kick starts roses that have been overwintered by adding magnesium. Any comments?

Will this fragrant rose grow in the Mile High City?